Ospreys head coach Mark Jones says Beard will be missed and hopes the next generation of locks can fill the void.

"Beardy's influence has been ever present in his time at the Ospreys," said Jones.

"He will leave a big hole as a player, a set-piece expert and a leader.

"The Ospreys have historically placed a high importance on having a strong front five and he has been a key contributor in that for a long time.

"He's an elite professional but most of all, a great person.

"While we'll miss Beardy's presence at the club, we have high hopes for a lot of our second rows that have come through the ranks recently.

"His departure will provide an opportunity for those boys, along with any new additions we have, to step up as leaders."

Wales captains Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan have signed new deals to stay at Ospreys next season, while Ross Moriarty is set to join from Brive.

Le Garrec also suggested that the situation in the match contributed to his reaction. Racing had just had Fijian wing Vinaya Habosi sent off for making contact with the head of a Perpignan player, and trailed by 11 points with 10 minutes remaining.

Racing ultimately lost 28-24. The big-spending Parisian side, who sacked former England coach Stuart Lancaster in February, lie only four points above the relegation play-off spot with five rounds remaining of the regular season.

Le Garrec is not the first player to be accused of play-acting this season.

In March, La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara compared Stade Francais flanker Romain Briatte to Brazilian footballer Neymar, after Australian second row Will Skelton was sent off after clearing out a ruck.

While Bath centre Ollie Lawrence admitted that he "probably could have carried on" when he hit the turf following a head clash with Northampton's Alex Mitchell in January - however he denied cheating, saying he was entitled to go to ground.

Rugby's laws, external expressly forbid players to "do anything that may lead the match officials to consider that an opponent has committed an infringement" or, more generally, to act contrary to "the spirit of good sportsmanship".

Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has spoken for the first time about his sale of the club in a book that will be released this summer.

The book by Nick Purewal, titled "Sanctioned," will feature interviews with Abramovich, who owned Chelsea between 2002 and 2022. The book, published by Biteback Publishing, also features access with all sides of the 2.5 billion deal that saw the club sold to Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, including more than 50 interviews.

The 58-year-old, who is a Russian national, was hit with UK government sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, causing him to sell the club.

Abramovich has not publicly addressed the episode since it happened, with any interview with the billionaire extremely rare -- he has not given an on-the-record interview since 2006.

Chelsea won two Champions League tites and five Premier League titles among a host of major honours under Abramovich. However, the club have struggled for success under their new ownership, although they have rebounded this year and are in the hunt to return to the Champions League.

Marcus Rashford is targeting a club playing in the Champions League for his next move, a source has told ESPN.

The forward, on loan at Aston Villa from Manchester United, is set to delay a decision on his future until after the end of the season.

Villa have an agreement with United to make his loan move permanent for a 40 million ($53m) fee, although a source has told ESPN that they are yet to decide whether or not to trigger the option.

Rashford would still need to agree personal terms with Villa and it's understood his wage of around 350k-a-week could be a stumbling block.

The 27-year-old, who has three years left on his contract at Old Trafford, is keen to play Champions League football next season.

Following their 2-1 defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday, Villa are seventh in the table, two points adrift of Newcastle in fifth with four games remaining.

A source has told ESPN that while Rashford is open to returning to United he does not believe he has the chance of regular first-team football while Ruben Amorim remains head coach.

It was Amorim's decision to drop Rashford from the team in December before sanctioning his departure in January.

Club sources insist all options are on the table. Rashford will be expected to report to Carrington for preseason training in July if no deal is agreed before then.

The situation which could mirror last summer when Jadon Sancho was part of the United squad which toured the U.S. despite falling out of favour with former boss Erik ten Hag.

Sancho played regularly during preseason before joining Chelsea on deadline day.

When Manchester City announced back in October that Sporting CP's Hugo Viana would take over from Txiki Begiristain as the club's director of football this summer, the team were still unbeaten in all competitions. Now the defending Premier League champions are in a battle to finish in the top four, out of Europe, and their only chance of silverware is the FA Cup -- where they meet Nottingham Forest in the semifinals on Sunday (stream LIVE at 11:25 a.m. ET on ESPN+).

With a handover period forthcoming from Begiristain, Viana officially started work on April 7 and one of several tasks ahead of the summer's transfer window will be to work out how to revamp the club's midfield. Club legend Kevin De Bruyne has already announced he will leave when his contract expires, and it's looking increasingly likely that Ilkay Gündogan and Bernardo Silva will follow the 33-year-old out of the door as well.

While City spent over 150 million on four new arrivals in January and can look to up-and-coming talents already at the club such as Oscar Bobb, Claudio Echeverri, Nico O'Reilly and James McAtee, this will almost certainly be a summer of comings and goings at the Etihad. And with the Premier League's 115 charges looming over the club, as well as no certainties over Champions League participation next season, Viana will have his work cut out.

So how does one go about such a complex rebuild? Instead of targeting like-for-like replacements for De Bruyne and others, the way forward for Pep Guardiola will be to find multi-purpose midfielders with the quality to fill a variety of positions. As with many of his squad, they should feel comfortable slotting in around the pitch but it's also key that those tasked with a more central role can gel with Ballon d'Or winner Rodri when he returns from injury.

Here's a few who City should be considering.

Attacking midfield (No. 10)

Florian Wirtz, 21, Bayer Leverkusen
Transfer value: 140m

A no-brainer of a signing if ever there was one. Wirtz was the attacking catalyst in Leverkusen's double-winning campaign last season and has repeated his devastating impact this campaign. The 21-year-old possesses all the attributes expected from a world-class No. 10 -- who sits in the space behind the striker and midfield -- as he's tremendously creative (2.30 key passes per 90 minutes), brilliant at finding space between the lines, and is a high-volume dribbler (3.50 successful take-ons per 90 minutes.) Most importantly, he's also an expert finisher and has 18 goals this season.

Wirtz is the kind of player who should be able to dictate Guardiola's attacking structure, supplying the wingers and midfield runners as well as pouncing on rebounds and layoffs from central striker Erling Haaland.

Is it likely to happen, though? The smart money seems to be on Wirtz joining Bayern Munich, while Real Madrid are reportedly also considering a bid, and it's questionable whether the Germany international would even want to join City amid a major rebuild. If they miss out on the Champions League then they won't have a hope, while splashing around 140m on one player would also compromise the club's ability to complete other signings.

Key stat: 33 goals and 33 assists since the start of last season are astonishing numbers.

Xavi Simons, 21, RB Leipzig
Transfer value: 70m

Simons is yet to reach the level of Wirtz, but there are a few factors which strengthen his candidacy. He matches his rival in key pass stats, but his transfer would cost a lot less, and he should fit seamlessly into Guardiola's style of football given his background at Barcelona's La Masia academy.

The Netherlands international also possesses above-average finishing skills and a move to a more possession-dominant side should see his goals and assist numbers increase considerably. Much like Wirtz, Simons is also excellent at set pieces -- something that will be lacking in the absence of De Bruyne.

Key stat: 2.24 key passes per 90 minutes is right up there with the elite attacking midfielders in Europe.

Nico Paz, 20, Como
Transfer value: 35m

Europe's elite clubs are monitoring the young Argentina international on the back of a magnificent breakout season in Serie A where he's had seven assists and six goals in 30 games. Though Real Madrid reportedly have the first refusal to re-sign Paz for around 9m thanks to a clause in the 6m agreement that took him to Como in the summer.

City would have to act fast and pay over the odds to sign Paz, but he's only 20 and has a very high ceiling for development. Indeed, he has proven capable of scoring from distance or providing neat through-balls to his teammate and, much like Wirtz and Simons, he also excels at receiving and passing in confined spaces.

Key stat: 2.85 shots per 90 minutes are decent numbers that show he can be a goal threat.

Morgan Gibbs-White, 25, Nottingham Forest
Transfer value: 50m

Though a midfielder with a different technical profile from the aforementioned players, Gibbs-White blossoms in a free No. 10 role and offers Nuno Espirito Santos an X-factor in the final third -- with five goals and seven assists this season -- as well as fine defensive output.

The former Wolves academy graduate has had a couple of outstanding seasons at Nottingham Forest and has been key to their rise up the table this season. One interesting aspect to his game is his sharp, varied and direct passing and he often starts counter attacks in the blink of an eye when his side regain possession.

Gibbs-White is always looking to be involved in the play and his rapid decision-making, superb vision and goal-scoring ability from midfield make him highly desired by the traditional top clubs. How he would settle into a more patient side than Forest is an interesting question, though.

Key stat: He puts in 0.31 xA -- one expected assist for every third game.

Dejan Kulusevski, 24, Tottenham Hotspur
Transfer value: 60m

Though this transfer has a slim chance of materializing, given the Sweden international has a contract until 2028 and it's unlikely that Spurs would entertain any offers for one of their best players, City might feel that Spurs' terrible season offers them a chance to persuade him.

While Kulusevski might be too direct in style for Guardiola, few top-level players are more devastating in transition. Having been reinvented from a winger to a central midfielder, Kulusevski represents a serious goal threat and his shooting ranks up there with the best. He could play as a No. 8 -- a player who gets from box to box quickly -- especially in away games, and could also offer Guardiola some added value in a wide role too if required.

Key stat: 2.6 key passes per 90 minutes puts Kulusevski in the top 2% of Premier League attacking midfielders.

Box-to-box midfield (No. 8)

Tijjani Reijnders, 26, AC Milan
Transfer value: 50m

The role of all-action central midfielder requires involvement at both ends of the pitch and there are few better options than Reijnders, who has scored 14 goals for his club and another three for Netherlands this season.

The key to his surge in end product has been a tactical tweak -- initiated by former Milan boss Paulo Fonseca -- that liberated Reijnders from some of his defensive responsibilities and encouraged him to shoot more often. Indeed, at a rate of 2.35 shots per 90 minutes, he's now one of the most trigger-happy central midfielders across the top five leagues in Europe.

While his newfound attacking prowess is a huge upside, Reijnders is also dynamic and rapidly reverts to a pressing position when possession is lost. His versatility also comes in handy for a team with several gaps to fill in central midfield positions.

Key stat: In addition to his goal-scoring proficiency, a pass success rate of 90% is impressive for a multi-purpose midfielder.

Conor Gallagher, 25, Atlético Madrid
Transfer value: 40m

After moving to Atlético from Chelsea for 42m last summer, Gallagher has had a slightly underwhelming debut season in LaLiga. In Diego Simeone's mind he seems more useful than indispensable and has mainly been used as a utility player, shifting between several midfield roles.

While it's tricky to find a roaming central midfielder to replace Silva, Gallagher does come with some similar features: he's got bags of energy, loves to get on the ball, is always available as a passing option, and is active in both phases of the game.

What's more, he is a better fit for the roaming positional scheme of Guardiola, rather than Simeone's rigid principles. Replicating Silva's goals and assist numbers should also be within Gallagher's realm of possibilities.

Key stat: While Gallagher's attacking contribution has been somewhat limited, he has put in 2.8 tackles per 90 minutes.

Éderson, 25, Atalanta
Transfer value: 60m

Perhaps the least Guardiola-style player of all the candidates, Éderson still offers some highly valuable characteristics. He is more dependable than flash, altruistic rather than individualistic, and is arguably a closer replacement for defensive midfielder Fernandinho (who left in 2022) than those likely to depart this summer.

The Brazil international would provide a solidifying presence in City's midfield and while Guardiola would probably prefer a more creative player next to Rodri, the Atalanta midfielder is mobile, high on stamina, positionally aware, and brings an added layer of defensive sturdiness.

Given license to roam forward, he's also capable of making deep runs into the box (his headed winner away at Milan last weekend is a case in point) to make an impact on the attacking side.

Key stat: His six recoveries per 90 minutes are impressive numbers for a central midfielder who spends time in the attacking end.

LOS ANGELES -- With the Lakers' lead, which was once 22 points, cut in half midway through the third quarter of Tuesday's Game 2 against the Timberwolves, an irate JJ Redick stormed onto the court to call timeout before Luka Doncic could inbound the ball from the sideline.

"What the f--- is going on?!" Redick could be heard shouting on the TNT broadcast, with his team leading 62-51 with 7:40 to go in the third. "What the f--- are you guys doing? Come on!"

After the huddle, Los Angeles used a 9-0 run to push its lead back to 20 and held on to win 94-85 to even the first-round series 1-1.

"That's JJ," LeBron James said of the first-year coach's outburst. "Obviously we need to listen to the message and not how he's delivering it. ... I thought we responded after that."

The theme of the night was how the Lakers were able to respond, not just from their coach's prodding but also from the 117-95 drubbing they experienced in Saturday's Game 1 when the Timberwolves dominated in nearly every facet of the game.

After being outscored 25-6 in fast-break points in Game 1, Los Angeles led 13-6 in Game 2. After Minnesota set a franchise postseason record by going 21-for-42 on 3-pointers in the opener, the Lakers held the Timberwolves to 5-for-25 on 3s on Tuesday. After the Timberwolves controlled the boards 44-38 in Game 1, the Lakers had the rebounding edge 41-34.

As much as the difference could be shown in statistics, James said it came down to Los Angeles' demeanor.

"We knew yesterday at practice," James said when asked when he knew the Lakers would be ready. "We had a tough practice yesterday, and we went at it yesterday. One of the best practices we've had all year. We kind of knew coming out of that what type of disposition we had to play with."

Doncic scored 31 points and had nine assists after scoring 37 in Game 1, but he tied his career postseason low with one assist in the series opener.

"Is nine assists good enough for you?" Doncic jokingly said to ESPN as he stood up from the postgame podium after being asked about how he balanced his scoring and passing following Saturday's loss.

Three other Lakers starters scored in double digits. James had 21 points on 8-for-19 shooting with 11 rebounds and 7 assists, Austin Reaves had 16 points with 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and Rui Hachimura had 11 points with 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

James' steal from Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards and score on the other end with 2:40 to go in the fourth quarter helped finally seal the victory.

"He made a winning play," Doncic said.

Hachimura also made plays on both ends of the floor and was credited by Redick for playing aggressive after getting hit in the face in the first quarter and needing to leave the game to be fit for a face mask.

"He played like a warrior tonight," Redick said of Hachimura. "I'm sure that he is probably in the X-ray room right now. There were a few plays that he made just getting deflections and disrupting plays. ... He was awesome."

But the Lakers as a team looked ugly at times. They scored just 13 points on 5-for-19 shooting (0-for-5 from 3) with six turnovers in the fourth quarter, but never let their lead dip below nine.

Lakers president of basketball operations and general manager Rob Pelinka glowingly referred to the performance as a "rock fight" as he made his way out of the arena Tuesday.

However, his team found beauty in knowing it could match the brutality of the Timberwolves' front line featuring the 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert, 6-9 Jaden McDaniels and 6-9 Julius Randle.

"I think it just goes back to the other night when we basically got punked," Reaves said. "They came in here, Game 1, and punked us. You could tell from the energy in the locker room after the game that nobody was worried about what we have. We just had to go out there and compete every single possession."

Now they will have to do it again in Game 3 on the road Friday to win back home-court advantage.

"Going into Minnesota is going to be a war," Doncic said. "The fans are going to be cheering like crazy. So no matter what, we can't panic. We got to stay together. And that's on me and Bron to keep the team together."

Despite the losses, Wales have scored almost twice as many points in the Six Nations as they had at this stage in last year's tournament.

Trailfinders player Cox is evidently enjoying life under Lynn, having gained more metres than every other player in the Six Nations except England stars Ellie Kildunne and Abby Dow.

Only Italy's Sara Tounesi has made more offloads than Dow, who is also the only player with more linebreaks than Cox.

The Wales speedster opened the scoring against Ireland last Sunday before Hannah Bluck followed. It was the first time the backs had scored all of Wales' points since they faced Italy last summer.

"Out attack is much more varied now and I'm really enjoying being involved far more," said Cox.

"In the past we've relied heavily on our forwards to score tries but that's not rugby. You need an all-round game and that's a big positive for us.

"We've been given freedom to give things a go, try new combinations and moves without fear of failing as we build to the World Cup."

The Italy fixture is to be rearranged due to the funeral of Pope Francis.

The two teams were due to meet in Parma at lunchtime on Saturday, 26 April in the final round of the tournament, but the Pope's funeral will take place at 10:00 local time (09:00 BST) that day.

Tournament organisers have yet to confirm when - or where - the game will now go ahead.

Oilers forward Evander Kane could make his season debut in the Western Conference first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said Tuesday.

Kane, 33, has not played since Game 2 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final on June 10 against the eventual champion Florida Panthers, who won in seven games. He had surgery on Sept. 20 to repair two torn hip adductor muscles, two hernias and two torn lower abdominal muscles. He also had arthroscopic knee surgery on Jan. 9.

A day after a hectic 6-5 loss in the opener, the Oilers meet with reporters in Los Angeles. They trail the Kings 1-0 in the best-of-seven series, with Game 2 scheduled for Wednesday in Los Angeles.

"Kane is a possibility of coming back, whether that's for Game 2, Game 3 or Game 4," said Knoblauch, who saw his team trail 4-0 Monday night in Game 1 before a furious rally tied the game at 5-5. "But it should be soon."

The coach said Kane has not been cleared by doctors but he expects to see him play at some point in the series -- though targeting Game 2 "is a little premature."

"I think Evander looks better today than he did in the (Cup) Final series against Florida," Knoblauch said. "He's skating better, he's moving better, his agility, all that stuff. He looks more explosive. Yeah, it's very difficult for a player to come back after a long stretch (out), but I think Evander has a little bit of an X-factor."

Kane, recorded 44 points (24 goals, 20 assists) in 77 games during the regular season in 2023-24 and eight points (four goals, four assists) in 20 playoff games.

He has totaled 617 points (326 goals, 291 assists) in 930 career regular-season games with the Atlanta/Winnipeg franchise (2009-15), Buffalo Sabres (2015-18), San Jose Sharks (2018-21) and Oilers. He was selected by the Thrashers with the fourth overall pick of the 2009 NHL Draft.

Knoblauch also said that defenseman John Klingberg (lower-body injury) is "very close" to returning to the lineup after missing the last 10 games of the regular season and the 6-5 loss to the Kings in Game 1 on Monday.

"Yes, he definitely can be a player for us coming in Game 2," Knoblauch said. "Whether we make that decision tomorrow, but I would say we will see him at some point in the series."

Klingberg, 32, signed as a free agent with Edmonton on Jan. 17. He has not played since March 27 in a 6-1 loss to the host Seattle Kraken. Klingberg has one goal, three assists, eight penalty minutes, 13 blocks and five hits in 11 games this season.

He has 82 goals and 416 career points with 263 penalty minutes, 761 blocks and 434 hits in 644 regular-season games for the Dallas Stars (2014-22), Anaheim Ducks (2022-23), Minnesota Wild (2023), Toronto Maple Leafs (2023-24) and Oilers.

Information from Field Level Media was used in this report.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Ryan McDonagh stated the obvious: The 6-2 humbling they suffered against the arch-rival Florida Panthers on Tuesday night was not how they wanted to begin the latest Battle of Florida.

"It's definitely a salty feeling in here. We didn't have a great start to this series like we talked about," the veteran said. "But we know we can be better. We've got another level and we'll find a way to get to that."

The Panthers took a 1-0 series lead by scoring six times on 16 shots against Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. After Sam Bennett and Jake Guentzel traded goals in the first period, the Panthers scored four straight times -- including goals by Nate Schmidt and Matthew Tkachuk that were 14 seconds apart in the second period. Schmidt's goal was unsuccessfully challenged for goalie interference by the Lightning, earning a delay of game penalty. Tkachuk scored on the ensuing power play to make it 4-1.

"Yeah, you've got to stop that bleeding," defenseman Victor Hedman said. "We give up that third one. The challenge that didn't go our way and we give up one right away. That's tough, but we got to make sure it stops there and not give up the fifth one as well."

Tkachuk, returning to the Florida lineup for the first time after being injured in February's 4 Nations Face-Off, scored his second of the game on the power play at 9:44 of the second period to make it 5-1 for the Panthers, en route to the 6-2 rout.

"You see him being able to step into a game and be impactful," Schmidt said of Tkachuk. "That's who he is. He's a playoff player."

Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who has won two of the three Battle of Florida playoff series against the Panthers, appreciated his team's effort despite the result.

"I love this team. They try. They're always trying, and they did that again tonight. Sometimes the results aren't there. Most nights they are," he said. "We can sit here and dissect this game all we want. The bottom line is we lost. Whether you lose 6-2 or you lose 1-0 in overtime, we lost the game. Turn the page and move on. Let's sit here in 48 hours or whatever it is and dissect that one. This one's over."

The Panthers are the reigning Stanley Cup champion. Cooper noted that a number of his players were seeing their first playoff action in Game 1.

"We had a bunch of guys tonight playing their first playoff games, and I thought guys handled it fairly well. But in the end we gave up six goals," he said. "The series isn't won in one game, so there's a positive."

That said, it took just one game for the Panthers to flex on the Lightning defense and special teams, going 3-for-3 on the power play. One huge factor in that domination was an injury to Lightning center Anthony Cirelli, their best defensive forward and a key to their penalty kill. He left the game after taking two shifts in the second period. There was no update on his status after the game.

Game 2 is Thursday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa.